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OKLAHOMA CITY – Scott Brooks always believed he would be back as the coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, even as his previous contract was surprisingly allowed to expire following the NBA Finals.
There were rumors that he would be replaced by 11-time NBA champion Phil Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy — which general manager Sam Presti discarded as "rubbish" — but Brooks remained confident.
"I knew it would work out," Brooks said Tuesday at a news conference to formally announce the deal he signed a day earlier. "This is where I wanted to be. This is the best situation for me. I couldn't ask for a better place to coach, to live, and I'm excited about the opportunity ahead of me."
Brooks reportedly now has a four-year deal worth more than $4 million annually, but the team isn't releasing the terms.
Brooks has built the Thunder into a championship contender since taking over around Thanksgiving 2008. The team had won just one of its first 13 games after relocating from Seattle to Oklahoma City. It went 23-59 that season, but improved enough to make the playoffs the next season, then the Western Conference finals the next season and then the NBA Finals this past season.
"Sam and I met before the season and he said, 'NBA Finals or adios,' so he put a lot of pressure on me," Brooks said in jest.
Presti said he values Brooks' experience in being with the franchise during the tough times. Brooks was an assistant during a rocky final season in Seattle, and made the transition to head coach during a dreadful 3-29 start to the 2008-09 season.
Since taking over, he has insisted that his players work hard through success and failure, and he has used his experience as an 11-year NBA veteran to guide his youthful roster.
"I believe in players. I believe that you have to figure out ways to get them better and you have to look at their weaknesses and address their weaknesses but you don't focus on all of their weaknesses. You improve those areas but then you bring it all together," Brooks said. "I've always felt the best coaches that I've had are the ones that empowered me to think that I was a little bit better than I was. I've always felt that if you're able to do that, the players are going to give you more than they think they can give you."
After the Thunder largely wiped the slate clean following the franchise's relocation, Brooks' impact has been even more pronounced.
"I think his contributions are enormous. We wouldn't be in this situation, where we feel really good about our future, without him," Presti said. "He's got a great understanding of the organization and a big part of that is because he's helped construct it."
Still, it was startling for the same general manager who was waiting on Kevin Durant's doorstep for the moment he was allowed to offer him a maximum contract extension — even with a year left on his rookie deal — to allow his head coach to briefly become a free agent.
"It would have probably gotten done earlier if we didn't make the playoffs or went (out in) the first round," Brooks said, "but it was a good problem to have."
By the time Oklahoma City's season was over, there were only eight days left to negotiate a new contract.
"When the season ended, we could really put all of our attention on it. I feel like we got it done fairly expeditiously but ... sometimes these things take time," Presti said. "There's a lot more conversation that has to happen in order to make it come to fruition."
Now that Brooks is locked up, Presti can turn his attention to the roster. Veterans Derek Fisher, Nazr Mohammed and Royal Ivey are all unrestricted free agents while Sixth Man of the Year James Harden, NBA blocks leader Serge Ibaka and backup point guard Eric Maynor are all eligible for contract extensions.
"We've got a lot of things obviously on our plate," Presti said. "Scott and I have had some really good discussions about just the team and the things that are really important to us going forward roster-wise and organizationally. ... We obviously are going to start having conversations with James and Serge and efforts to try to figure their situations out.
"The NBA offseason is definitely a marathon and not a sprint."


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"Sesame Street" Enters Bieber Territory, With Almost 1 Billion Hits On YouTube
NEW YORK (AP) — Nearing 1 billion views on YouTube, "Sesame Street" is headed for Justin Bieber territory.
The children's program is closing in on the kind of rarified digital milestone usually reserved for the likes of pop stars and cat videos. "Sesame Street" will soon pass 1 billion views on YouTube and it's celebrating the mark with a campaign to put itself over the hump.
"Sesame Street" on Thursday will post a video featuring the character Telly Monster, urging viewers to click the show past the final 20 million views and unlock a "top secret video." Naturally, for the nonprofit children's series, it's a teaching moment, too. Don't be surprised if Count von Count shows up to ponder such a big number.
For "Sesame Street," the milestone — a first on YouTube for a nonprofit or U.S. children's media outlet — reflects the increasingly multimedia nature of kid entertainment. Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch are now about as likely to be watched on an iPad, phone or laptop as they are on PBS.
"We have this theory that if we get content on multiple platforms and devices, it gives kids and families a chance to reinforce and experience the curriculum multiple times," says Terry Fitzpatrick, executive vice president of content and distribution for Sesame Workshop, who emphasizes videos are best co-viewed with child and parent. "It blows me away to think about how popular and strong a platform (YouTube) has become for us."
"Sesame Street," a mainstay on PBS since 1970, launched its YouTube channel in 2006, but has continually expanded its mindfulness of online and mobile viewers.
Sesame Workshop last year integrated its digital media group into its TV production, so that digital and interactive elements are considered from the start of an idea. Its most popular video is "Elmo's Song," which has been watched nearly 86 million times since being uploaded in 2009. More recently, another PBS hit, "Downton Abbey," was parodied in "Upside Downton Abbey," a video where British muppets have trouble drinking tea and eating crumpets because, well, they're upside down.
Caitlin Hendrickson, strategic partner manager for YouTube's educational realm, YouTube EDU, says that education is one of the fastest growing content categories on the Google Inc.-owned site. "Sesame Street" reaching 1 billion views, she said in a statement, "is proof of their outstanding leadership in this space and their creative use of YouTube."

subset: commoncrawl


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Aurico Reports, Inc., Joel Goldberg
Navy veteran Joel Goldberg founded Aurico Reports in 1991, running it out of an extra bedroom in his home. Over twenty years later, the company occupies a 3 story office building in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and provides a comprehensive array of in-depth background screening, drug testing, assessment tools, and related resources that help companies find and retain the "A" players - the best people for the job opening they seek to fill. Aurico is recognized as an industry leader due to its exceptional commitment to accuracy, consistent quality, fast turnaround, and solutions-based approach. By partnering with an organization's Human Resources department, they increase that organization's efficiency, lower its recruitment costs and improve its organizational performance.
Aurico is committed to supporting its employees and their community. In 2011, they added 12 new full-time positions to their staff and now support 63 employees in their hometown. They've made a significant investment in employee cultivation, often promoting from within their own ranks and offering continuous employee training and development. In 2011, Aurico was nominated for the "Business of the Year" Award in the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce and was also cited as an INC 5000 Fastest Growing Privately Held Company in the US. The company works closely with the town government and Chamber of Commerce to support events in the Arlington Heights community. Every member of the management team is involved with volunteer activities throughout the community by serving on boards, supporting PADS for HOPE homeless shelters, volunteer coaching, and supporting the local YMCA, community libraries, and United Way. Aurico reports were also recognized by SCORE as the 2012 Outstanding Veteran-Owned Small Business. https://resources.careerbuilder.com/product-news/aurico-background-screening
Beginning in 2009, SCORE mentors Leo Dietlin, Don Crossett, Jerry Hicks, and Jay Rowell began carefully evaluating Aurico's operations, corporate structure, and strategic plan, looking for new opportunities for growth and planning the company's long-term course of action, including incorporating the talents and experience of the founder's son, Ben Goldberg. The SCORE team recommended a strategy and goals that the Aurico team now uses to benchmark its accomplishments and develop annual planning and directions. The results were obvious – they now serve 2,500 clients nationwide and boast a 97% client retention rate since 1991. They continue to regularly meet with their team of SCORE mentors to assist in managing their resulting growth.


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Founded in 1923, Palmetto Pigeon Plant has grown into one of the largest producers of squab, poussin, cornish game hens, and silkie chickens in the world. We also supply pigeons to universities and research facilities though out North America and sale our utility pigeon breeders across the globe.
It has been from the very beginning our earnest desire to produce the finest products possible and to render dependable and unfailing service. Let us know how we can help you!


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I believe the Chicken… was doped to the gills.
From: cyclingnews.com
Nearly one year after he was forced to leave the Tour de France while wearing the race leader's maillot jaune, Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen has been suspended for two years for missing out-of-competition doping controls prior to the race.
The Monaco cycling federation, with whom the 34 year-old former Rabobank rider carries a racing licence, released its decision today following a hearing on May 28, according to Rasmussen's manager Moreno Nicoletti. Rasmussen has the right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Rasmussen was withdrawn from the Tour de France after being fired by Rabobank for missing three anti-doping controls. He reportedly missed two controls carried out by the Danish Cycling Federation and one by the International Cycling Union (UCI).
I had these two domains pointing at their own little webpage last summer, but I've decided to just point 'em here to drunkcyclist until they expire. Sorta like pro cycling is set to expire.
Trackbacks: www.ibelievethechicken.com & www.ibelieverasmussen.com
(You may be directed to the old site when clicking either of those two urls while the dns sorts itself out over the next half hour or so. Good times.)


text: Escape into the privacy of your own retreat! Check out this 10 acre lot for sale in Helena, Montana. There is an approved septic design, well location, and a building site. Enjoy the benefits of living outside of town but don't worry, you aren't too far to enjoy in-town amenities! Helena, Holter Lake, Hauser Lake, Canyon Ferry Lake, Missouri River, Elk Horn Mountains, Great Divide Ski Resort, Gates of The Mountains Wilderness and Helena National Forest are all just a drive away. This is a great place for year around living or a cabin to getaway that is quiet and private. Deer, antelope, elk, and other small wildlife frequent the property! The views from here are as good as it gets. Please contact Grant Bonnice (406) 439-0059 for all the important details and to make an appointment to see it. Priced at $74,000.


text: The purpose of this course is to provide students with a perspective on human behavior and development that deepens an understanding of their own behavior and that of the clients with whom they interact. Behavior will be examined through the Life Course Perspective by looking at how life stages, life events, and cultural differences operate within a biological, psychological, and social framework, shaping people's lives from conception to death. Students will also become familiar with assessment approaches used by Human Service workers when helping clients within their developmental contexts.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Contractor's shops and/or yards; boat and recreational vehicle storage; trucking facilities; public or private airports or landing fields; horse boarding facilities; dog kennels; the keeping of wild animals; preschool nurseries or day cares; junk yards; salvage yards; junked, dismantled, inoperable or abandoned vehicles; quarries; dump or dumping ground; landfills; commercial feedlots, semi-truck trailers or shipping containers; manufactured homes not used as a residence; a second residence, guesthouse or apartment; etc.
Certain commercial/business type uses may only be permitted via conditional use permit. Please refer to the zoning regulations and contact the planning department for details.
Show All Answers
For written confirmation as to whether an existing lot or tract is "buildable", a Zoning Verification application can be submitted for the property in question. This will verify whether the property was legally created, and whether or not the lot/tract is eligible to receive building permits per the zoning and subdivision standards that were in place when the lot was created. The Zoning Verification application can be submitted free of charge if submitted in conjunction with a Soil Profile Analysis application (soil test for sanitation purposes), a Building Permit application, or an Entrance Permit application (driveway entrance from the county right-of-way). If the Zoning Verification is submitted without another application, a $50.00 fee will be charged.
Please keep in mind that other factors such as entrance standards, sanitation requirements, floodplain, etc., may restrict a lot from being developed. The Zoning Verification only verifies the legality of the lot for zoning purposes.
Please contact the local extension office at 913-294-4306 for help in determining an adequate amount of land area needed per horse to properly care for the animal and to avoid destruction of grass and soil.


text: 2nd CFP: SYMPOSIUM on PROOFS, PROGRAMS, PROCEDURES: FORMAL AND EPISTEMIC ISSUES The Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science of Ghent University was founded in 1993. On occasion of its 20th anniversary the Centre organises an international Conference on Logic and Philosophy of Science (CLPS13) on the themes that are central to its research: - Logical analysis of scientific reasoning processes - Methodological and epistemological analysis of scientific reasoning processes Conference dates: 16-18 September 2013 Keynote talks will be given by Diderik Batens (the founder of the Centre), three logicians (Natacha Alechina, Graham Priest and Stephen Read) and three philosophers of science (Hanne Andersen, Hasok Chang, and Jim Woodward). We will also schedule parallel sessions with contributed papers and special symposia with a limited number of papers. I organise a symposium (#4) on PROOFS, PROGRAMS, PROCEDURES: FORMAL AND EPISTEMIC ISSUES The proof-theoretical understanding of logical relations and properties has received in the last 40 years a significantly new impact from the intuition underlying the so-called Curry-Howard Isomorphism: the contextual validity of a proof is equivalent to the executability of a program in a network. Given the large impact of this identity on theoretical aspects of logic and their applications, bridging formal properties of proofs with computational aspects of programs is of huge importance. Besides the purely syntactical relation between (proof-)validity and (program-) correctness, proof theories for modal, temporal, dynamic logics can be used to verify software and hardware specification in a decidable way. In the debate between denotational and procedural semantics of programming languages a similar paradigm change is at stake where the standard approach to truth is replaced by provability of type preservation and termination of procedures. Proofs, programs, procedures represent the foundational elements in this novel understanding of traditional logical problems. In this session we will explore formal and epistemic issues that are relevant to proof-theoretical and type- theoretical systems, program logics and procedural semantics. Topics of interest include but are not restricted to: - proof-theories and type-theories for multi-agent systems, distributed and parallel computing - formal and meta-theoretical issues in modal, temporal, concurrent systems - applications of proof-theoretical and type-theoretical models to issues of trust, security, reliability, functioning and malfunctioning - type-checking, proof-checking and automatization - procedural semantics for epistemic purposes If you want to present a paper at this symposium, please upload an abstract in PDF format (between 500 and 1000 words) to: https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=clps13 before 1 April 2013. You will be asked to choose between one of the following submission categories: - Logical analysis of scientific reasoning processes - Methodological and epistemological analysis of scientific reasoning processes - Symposium submission Select the last option and mention the symposium number in the title of your abstract. If you do not have an EasyChair account you can create one here: https://www.easychair.org/account/signup.cgi Unfortunately, we cannot offer any financial support for symposium speakers. Neither can we waive the registration fee. All abstracts for symposia will be refereed by the organisers and other members of the programme committee. Notification of acceptance will be given by 15 May 2013. All further information (e.g. accommodation, registration, maps) can be found at the conference website: http://www.clps13.ugent.be/. The programme will be available on the website by 1 July 2013. Best regards Giuseppe Primiero


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Community Leaders Brace For Fallout From Zimmerman Verdict
As the nation waits for the jury's verdict on George Zimmerman, community leaders in Florida are in place, prepared for a big public reaction.
Government and law enforcement officials say they're hoping for the best with any demonstrations that may come after the verdict. But they're also preparing for the worst – rising tensions that could escalate violently.
An 'Opportunity' For Peace?
After the jury for was released on Friday to begin deliberations, Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith and Seminole County Sheriff Donald Eslinger appeared before cameras at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center.
Eslinger said he expects the Sanford community to react peacefully to the verdict, even encouraging local businesses to not disrupt operations and residents to go about their lives normally. But he also warned, "We will not tolerate anyone who uses this verdict as an excuse to violate the law."
Smith described the waiting period for a verdict as a "trying time," as well as an opportunity "to speak our piece peacefully, to come together peacefully and when you leave here, you leave here peacefully."
But if peace does not come after the verdict is announced, local law enforcement does have a response plan in place. Smith told NPR that there will be an increased police presence on the streets of Sanford in the coming days.
'A Butterfly In The Stomach'
Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett says an uneasy feeling is to be expected in town right now. "There's a nervous anxiety, almost a butterfly in the stomach," he explains.
Since the death of Trayvon Martin, tensions have run high in parts of Sanford and around the country as communities grappled over issues of race, profiling and Stand Your Ground laws that surround the case.
So far, though, Triplett says Sanford has been clear of tensions turning into violence, but he adds, "You have to be prepared for it. You'd be stupid not to prepare for it."
In South Florida, communities more than 200 miles away from Sanford are also preparing. In Miami, officials plan to set up a special protesting zone. In Broward County, the sheriff's office produced public service announcements, encouraging the public to "Raise your voice! And not your hands!"
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says his team is drawing lessons in part from the widespread unrest sparked by the 1992 L.A. riots. "We understand that the world will be watching to see how South Florida responds to the verdict," he says.
NPR's Maureen Chowdhury and Diane Jeanty contributed to this report.


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Bossip – What R&B Star Is Quite The Divo? Starring in big budget flicks has turned one cocoa-colored star into quite the drama king. According to sources, the well-built crooner arrived to a recent shoot several hours late, apologized for his tardiness — then unleashed his list of wants. "He was kind of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," says a source.
"He was going out of his way to seem polite initially, but then started making a bunch of demands. It was kind of funny and phony." His biggest request? Speakers so he could listen to music while he was prepped for hair and make-up. Guess that wouldn't have been too bad except he made the entire set listen to his album… on repeat… for the entire shoot. He also sang his songs all afternoon. "That got old quickly," adds the source. "Everyone thought it was hilarious." Hopefully, too much success won't transform the star much more.


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Fortunately, Microsoft blogger extraordinaire Dare Obasanjo made it to the conference and wrote up excellent and detailed notes on four of the talks:
- MapReduce, BigTable, and Other Distributed System Abstractions for Handling Large Datasets
- Using MapReduce on Large Geographic Datasets
- Lessons in Building Scalable Systems
- Scaling Google for Every User
Supposedly, "all sessions will be available on YouTube and Google Video after the conference." So far, I was only able to find one talk there, "Building a Scalable Resource Management System for Grid Computing".
The others may show up on Google Video in a few days. If they do, I will update this post with links to them.
If you are interested in this conference, you might also be interested in a few ([1] [2] [3] [4] [5]) of my many older posts on large scale computing at Google that include links to other papers, presentations, and videos.
Update: Some other notes ([1] [2]) on the conference from Robin Harris at StorageMojo. [via Ewan Silver].
Update: Some more notes, this one from François Schiettecatte.
Update: Torsten Curst posted notes as well and was particularly impressed with the Amazon talk. As François Schiettecatte mentioned, a paper with at least some of the material from that talk, "Dynamo: Amazon's highly available key-value store", will be presented at the upcoming ACM Symposium on Operating System Principles.
Update: Dan Creswell has more details on the Amazon talk.
Update: Three more of the conference talks ([1] [2] [3]) are now available on Google Video.
Update: Two more of the conference talks ([1] [2]) on Google Video, including the one by Marissa Mayer.
Update: In a more recent post, "Google Scalability Conference talks available", I listed all the talks that are available to make it easier to watch them.


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Sequels Dominate Box-Office With '22 Jump Street' Leading The Pack
This weekend saw the release of two hotly anticipated sequels that were both targeted at wildly different audiences. The end result? Both did surprisingly well, and more movie goers were given options that satisfied their entertainment needs.
However, the raunchy, tongue-in-cheek buddy cop sequel 22 Jump Street managed to get the jump (see what I did there?) on all other challengers this weekend, snagging $60 million while opening in almost 1000 less theaters than its opening opposition How To Train Your Dragon 2.
22 Jump Street, starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, is a sequel to the 2012 big screen comedy reboot of the late 80s television cop drama 21 Jump Street. It is the fifth biggest opening on record for a comedy, and managed to handily beat 21 Jump Street's opening weekend by over $10 million.
WATCH: Channing Tatum Gushes Over 'Jump Street' Co-Star Jonah Hill
How To Train Your Dragon 2, while still beaten by the farcical antics of the Hill/Tatum comedy power-duo, still took home a considerable $50 million. Like 22 Jump Street, HTTYD2 also managed to beat its own first film's release, which only took in $43.7 million in its debut, but continued to stay in the top three spots at the box office for seven weekends. Only time will tell if this sequel will have the same monstrous staying power.
Disney's Maleficent dropped from second to third this week, still managing to pull in an impressive $19 million in sales, bringing its total domestic gross to $165.5 million, just shy of its $180 million budget. Unless interest plummets unexpectedly, it should manage to clear that milestone by next weekend.
Edge Of Tomorrow dropped too, moving from third to fourth and taking in $16.1 million for a domestic total of $56.6 million, a very far cry from its $178 million production budget. However, the film has been playing very well overseas where it's earned an additional $181 million, so it looks like the film might manage to, at the very least, not be a devastating loss for Warner Bros.
RELATED: 'The Fault In Our Stars' Knocks Out 'Edge Of Tomorrow' at Box Office
And in one of the biggest drop-offs of the year so far, the indie romantic drama The Fault In Our Stars tumbled hard, falling from first place to fifth place in one weekend. It took in $15.7 million, down a massive 67.3% from last week's earnings, for a domestic total of $81 million. However, despite the marked decline in return viewing, the film has already made its $12 million budget back several times over and will still serve as a success for the studio.
X-Men Days Of Future Past dropped two spots from fourth to sixth and earned another $9.5 million, while Godzilla dropped one spot from sixth to seventh and managed to snag $3.1 million.
A Million Ways To Die In The West with $3 million, Neighbors with $2.4 million and Chef with $2.2 million round out the weekend box-office top 10.
1. 22 Jump Street - $60 million
2. How To Train Your Dragon 2 - $50 million
3. Maleficent - $19 million
4. Edge Of Tomorrow - $16.1 million
5. The Fault In Our Stars - $15.7 million
6. X-Men: Days Of Future Past - $9.5 million
7. Godzilla - $3.1 million
8. A Million Ways To Die In The West - $3 million
9. Neighbors - $2.4 million
10. Chef - $2.2 million


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"I got into this sport to be champion. Now that I'm not, it's all that's on my mind. It's all I think about." - Cain Velasquez
If fight fans want to see some fireworks before January 1st, the Octagon's got Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos. How about them fireworks?
As clocks and calendars run out of time for 2012, the UFC is serving up its biggest and baddest main event this side of the New Year. On December 29th, at UFC 155 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in the fight capital of the world, Las Vegas, Nevada, two titans will tangle with about 10 pounds of gold on the line to determine who is the heavyweight king of the Octagon. If that wasn't enough to whet the appetite, it's a rematch of arguably the most talked about title fight from last year, which broke the UFC's network barrier when their first tussle aired live and free on FOX. And, it's basically the best "striker vs. grappler" pairing available, featuring two absolute beasts.
Everyone and their in-laws saw what happened at UFC on FOX in November of 2011. The highly anticipated showdown between then-champion Velasquez and then-challenger dos Santos was almost over before it started. Both men entered the Octagon nursing unmentioned injuries, but were ready to battle anyway with the world's attention weighing on their shoulders. It only took 64 seconds and one powerful blow to knock the crown off Velasquez's head and find a new home on dos Santos'. It was surprising, shocking, and exciting, but now, these two giants are set for another go around for the belt again.
In the lead-up to this championship clash at UFC 155, both Velasquez and dos Santos took time for their busy training schedules to talk to the ever-inquisitive MMA media Wednesday afternoon. Much of the conversation was centered on the assurance that both champion and challenger are not injured for this second scrap for the strap. Besides the fighters' being healthier heading into this rematch, many, including and especially the fighters themselves, are expecting it to be a longer fight. Honestly, how could it not?
"I think every fight is different, so I'm sure this fight will be different than the other," tells dos Santos. "I think the first fight was very fast, but I learned some things in that fight. I think this fight will be longer because that fight was too fast."
No one is hoping for a more prolonged performance than the former UFC heavyweight champion Velasquez. Prior to UFC on FOX, the 30-year-old Mexican-American from Salinas, California was undefeated and dominant in all seven of his Octagon outings. The two-time All-American wrestler from Arizona State University had become a winning fixture in the cage with his unstoppable takedowns and his vicious ground and pound. Watching Velasquez run over his previous competition, it seemed all but written in stone that he would wear the belt and wear it for years to come.
"I got into this sport to be champion," says Velasquez. "Now that I'm not, it's all that's on my mind. It's all I think about."
In the original meeting, fight fans didn't get to see the Velasquez that they had heard so much about or had seen in his run to the title, but it was certainly on full display at UFC 146. In May, both Velasquez and dos Santos solidified their places for this event, winning in the fashion we've all come to expect. Velasquez blew the doors off of Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva with a 3:36 TKO stoppage in the first, leaving Silva bloody and bewildered in Velasquez's return to ground and pound form. Meanwhile, the champion dos Santos kept his headlining bout against former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir as a striker's duel and scored a TKO in the second.
One wants it on the floor and the other wants it standing; it's as simple as that. "I know how he fights," states Velasquez. "He wants to remain on the feet; he's good at boxing. I want to fight my fight, which is a lot of pressure and a lot of offense."
A year removed from the thunderous overhand right that put him on top of the food chain, dos Santos is enjoying his time as champion and the perks like signing a sponsorship with Nike. The 28-year-old, heavy-handed heavyweight from Santa Catarina, Brazil has a lot to smile about these days as dos Santos cleared out a division on his way to the title and, for the most part, only has rematches with former felled foes in his future. While a couple opponents have taken dos Santos the distance, none have been able to amount any significant offense in any of his nine Octagon appearances, including the one against Velasquez. More or less, if ain't broke, keep winning by staying upright.
"It's the same game plan," explains dos Santos. "My first game plan everyone already knows is to keep the fight standing. That's what I like to do. I think he is going to come hungrier for this fight. He is going to try and take me down and use his ground and pound. My strategy is the same for this fight and I'm prepared to win. I'm a very confident guy. I think that's part of my strength. I will give my best to follow my strategy inside the Octagon."
Although the champion rarely visits his ground game in the cage, in the gym dos Santos is a newly minted Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. And while the only real evidence UFC fans have seen of dos Santos' non-striking abilities were in a few extremely well-executed takedowns against Shane Carwin in the later rounds of their bout, most opponents have yet to force dos Santos into a situation where he's needed to use anything other than his elite standup. As all fights start on the feet, the onus is on Velasquez to take dos Santos out of his comfort zone and show us how the champion fares off his back.
"Cain is an excellent wrestler," asserts dos Santos. "He puts pressure on his opponents all the time. I will have to use my takedown defense and boxing skills. I know Cain's game. I know his strategies. If he can take me down and be able to hold me down there, then I'm definitely ready to have my first submission victory. It doesn't matter what happens, I think I will knock him out again."
On December 29th, the UFC counts down to the New Year with a colossal collision between champion and challenger, as dos Santos defends his title against Velasquez. Whether it goes to the unlikely last minute or barely makes it out of the first like last time, there is no better way to close out 2012 than with the guaranteed pulse raising excitement of this heavyweight headliner.
UFC Performance Institute
Dana White On The Opening Of UFC PI Mexico


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By Ayub Khan, TwoCircles.net
TwoCircles.net presents "The History Column." This fortnightly column features narratives, incidents, stories, from the past and not so recent past of Indian Muslim history. Columnist Ayub Khan is a student of history and Political Science.
It was a hot summer night in 1927. An elderly and weak looking man entered a community hall in Marysville, California. The gathered crowd of over 800 Indians became ecstatic and greeted him with a thundering applause. Strings of sparkling tears rolled down the face of the elderly man. He went up to the stage and began speaking with his usual forceful delivery but suddenly stopped. He couldn't utter a word. There were wails and sighs from the audience. The elderly man composed himself and smiled; it's glow sent a cheer through the audience. But he did not speak.
Maulana Barkatullah
A voice that has shaken the corridors of British colonial authorities was soon going to be silent forever. This voice belonged to the great, but almost forgotten, hero of Indian independence movement Maulana Barakatullah Bhopali. Maulana Bhopali's life is one full of dedication and service-a fiery journalist, a brilliant orator, an erudite Islamic scholar, a nationalist to the core, an author of several books, a polyglot who knew more than seven languages, a prime minister of India's government -in-exile. He was all this and more.
Maulana Barakatullah passed away on his way to San Francisco on September 20, 1927 and was buried in the Old City Cemetery of Sacramento. His funeral was attended by Indian Americans of all religious persuasions and they hoped that the Maulana's remains would eventually be transferred to India once it attains independence. But, alas, the wish remained unfulfilled and the Maulana rests in peace in a particularly beautiful section of this historic cemetery.
Headstone of Maulana Barakatullah's grave in Sacramento Historic Old City Cemetery (Courtesy: Sharon Patrician)
Maulana Barakatullah Bhopali was born somewhere between 1859 and 1861 in the princely state of Bhopal in India. His father Maulvi Muhammad Shujaat Ullah was a Madrassa teacher originally with meager resources and income. A bright student Barakatullah successfully completed his religious education at Madrasa-e-Sulaimaniya and qualified as an Alim in 1878. He served as a teacher at the same school from 1879-1880. He was able to utilize the intellectual milieu of princely Bhopal and was likely to have come in contact with the scholar-prince Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan Qanauji. He is also reported to have met the pan-Islamist and reformer Jamaluddin Afghani in 1882 and was much impressed of his ideas.
In 1883 he disappeared mysteriously from Bhopal and ended up in Bombay where he enrolled himself in Wilson High School in Khetwadi. Despite being a mature student he did not mind attending the elementary grades. At the insistence of a certain Mr. Scot he began taking private lessons in English from him in return for teaching Urdu. Within three years he was proficient enough to qualify for the university entrance examination.
He went to London in 1887 and served as a private tutor teaching Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. He himself learned German, French, and Japanese. He was invited by the British convert Abdullah Quilliam to work at the Muslim Institute in Liverpool in 1895. He subsequently taught at the Oriental College of University of Liverpool. He later distanced himself from the Muslim Institute over its style of functioning.
While in England he came into contact with Indian revolutionaries at India House. In response to the then British Prime Minister Gladstone's racist comments about India he launched a flurry of articles and speeches criticizing the policies. As a result his activities were severely restricted.
He left for New York in 1899 at the insistence of Muslim scholar and activist Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb. In his six year stint in New York he churned out a prolific number of articles related to Islam and India which were published in Webb's The Muslim World and also in mainstream newspapers such as the Forum. To earn an income he taught Arabic. He developed contacts with the Indian community in other cities of US and Canada and sought to instill the revolutionary spirit in them. While in America he kept in touch with fellow revolutionaries in India and had a scholarly exchange with the poet and nationalist leader Maulana Hasrat Mohani. In these letters he stressed on the need for Hindu-Muslim unity in the freedom struggle. He became a founder member of the Ghadr Party started by the Indians in San Francisco.
Maulana Barakatullah reached Japan in 1909 and was appointed a professor of oriental languages at the University of Tokyo. He brought out a journal The Islamic Fraternity which was known for its anti-colonial content. After its suppression he brought out another newspaper by the name of El Islam which was banned in British India. As a result of his activities his appointment at the university was terminated in 1914. This, however, did not unnerve Maulana Barakatullah. He treated the world as his playground and moved his activities elsewhere.
Maulana Barakatullah (extreme right) with the Turko-German Mission.
He accompanied the Turko-German Mission to Kabul in 1915 and joined Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi and Raja Mahendra Pratap to form the Provincial government of India. He served as the Prime Minister of the government-in-exile. In 1919 he met Lenin and sought his help in India's struggle for freedom. Throughout the the early 1920s he travelled widely in Germany, France, and Russia organizing the expatriate Indian communities on the revolutionary path.
His 1927 visit was his second one to the New World and would prove to be his last. He was suffering from diabetes and had a host of other ailments but his love for the nation was such that he undertook the long journey from Germany along with long time friend and fellow revolutionary Mahendra Pratap. He arrived in New York in July 1927 and stayed at a hotel in Times Square. On 15th July 1927, he was given a reception by the Indian community at Ceylon Indian Inn on 49th Street. He also met the Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. The two also spoke at a joint gathering of African-Americans and Indians. He also travelled to Chicago, Gary, and several other cities of the Midwest renewing his links with the Indian and Irish communities among whom he had many friends.
He arrived at the Yugantar Ashram, the Ghadr Party's headquarters in San Francisco and was pleased with its work. He then proceeded to Marysville where he was destine to give his last public speech. Throughout this trip his constant companion was Raja Mahendra Pratap who was himself not keeping well and aging. According to Mahendra Pratap's autobiography the Maulana last words were: "I have been sincerely struggling all my life for the independence of my country. Today, when I am leaving this world, I have regret that my attempts did not succeed. But at the same time I am also satisfied that hundreds and thousands of others have followed me who are brave and truthful…With satisfaction I place the destiny of my beloved nation in their hands."
Maulana Barakatullah Bhopali was an epitome of sincerity and dedication towards one's nation. A die hard to the core he never married as he considered it be distracting from his duty to the freedom struggle. It is an irony that this legendary son of the Indian freedom movement is reduced to the margins of Indian history. His name doesn't find a mention in the country's text books nor does his portrait grace the famed halls of the Indian parliament. There is, however, a university named after him in his native Bhopal.
Maulana Barakatullah's sojourns in America also testify to the long standing links which Indian Muslims have maintained with the new world. Contrary to popular perceptions Indian Muslims did not begin arriving in America in the 1960s but at least sixty years earlier. The registers of cemeteries across California will verify this fact.
Maulana is buried at Old City Cemetery (http://www.oldcitycemetery.com/) of Sacramento, his grave is in Section A50.
Map of the cemetery: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Old+City+Cemetery+Committee&sll=38.566824,-121.493168&sspn=0.015905,0.038581&gl=us&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=15
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Browning to Add the BT-99 to its Micro Midas Line
Morgan, Utah-Browning will expand it's Micro Midas line of youth oriented firearms to include the new BT-99 Micro Midas 12 gauge trap for 2013.
The new BT-99 Micro Midas features a compact 13″ length of pull stock and beavertail forearm in satin walnut. The stock is scaled down to comfortably fit smaller shooters. The BT-99 also includes a Vector Pro lengthened forcing cone, recoil pad and ivory front and mid-bead sights. Chrome plated chambers are also included on the BT-99 to resist wear and corrosion for years of shooting. Barrel lengths offered include 28″ or 30″. Suggested Retail Price, $1,429.99.
All Micro Midas firearms qualify for the Growth Insurance Program that allows new owners to purchase a full size stock at 50% off the retail price.
For more information on Browning products, please visit the website at www.browning.com.


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A $6.9-million grant given to LA County investigators aims to crack down on dangerous auto insurance fraud rings that cost ratepayers millions of dollars a year, officials announced Monday.
"While this is a big issue statewide, unfortunately, Los Angeles has dubious distinction of being the auto fraud capital of the Golden State," said Dave Jones, commission for the California Department of Insurance.
Last year alone, more than 7,700 auto insurance fraud claims investigated by state officials came from LA County. That's nearly half – 43 percent – of all auto fraud claims made in California, Jones said.
Insurance ratepayers in Los Angeles pay between $200 and $300 more in premiums each year because of auto insurance fraud, which last year cost insurers about $143 million and involves staged or intentional crashes carried out with the goal of collecting insurance money.
The crime rings are made of three levels, according to LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacey:
- Professionals like doctors who diagnose phony injuries, and lawyers who file fraudulent claims.
- Cappers, or middle men, who obtain cars to crash
- "Victims" who are recruited by the cappers and paid up to $100 to be behind the wheel or in the passenger seat of a car when it collides.
Lacey said these phony victims are usually recruited in front of fast food restaurants, and then file claims for medical services they did not receive for injuries they did not suffer.
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
At a news conference Monday, insurance and law enforcement officials warned drivers to always drive defensively and leave space between them and the car ahead.
If traffic appears to be moving freely and the car ahead suddenly stops with no explanation, Jones said that's a red flag the driver may be trying to stage a collision.
Another "tell-tale sign" of auto insurance fraud is if a witness suddenly materializes whose story matches – almost verbatim – what the driver says, Jones said.
Newly issued auto insurance and an "overabundance of passengers in the car" may also suggest fraud, Jones said.
If drivers suspect their crash is staged, Jones said they should insist on filing a police report, get the names and contact information for all parties involved – driver, passengers and witnesses – and call the Department of Insurance at 1-800-927-4357.
Expensive cars or government vehicles are more likely to be targeted, because they are more likely to have insurance that could benefit the scammers.
About $2.3 million of the grant from the Department of Insurance will go toward targeting organized auto insurance fraud, while the remaining $4.6 million will be allocated to fight auto insurance fraud in all facets, Jones said.
This year's grant is $100,000 more than last year's, Lacey said. It will pay for 12 prosecutors and seven investigators in the county's auto insurance fraud division.
Statewide, more than 1,500 individuals have been arrested in connection with auto insurance fraud, Jones said.
Depending on the size of the ring and the amount of money involved, fraudsters could face more than just time in county jail.
The head of a fraud insurance ring in LA County was sentenced last year to 26 years in state prison, Lacey said.
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Life In The Bubble: No Ricks Coverage On Fox News' Media Criticism Show
Written by Simon Maloy
It was the big media story of the last week. National security journalist Tom Ricks went on Fox News and accused the network of "operating as a wing of the Republican Party" with regard to its overblown Benghazi coverage, impelling anchor Jon Scott to cut short the segment. The aborted interview and ensuing behind-the-scenes wrangling provided fodder for media critics at other outlets to analyze Fox News' role within the media. But how did Fox News' media criticism show Fox News Watch, hosted by the very same Jon Scott, handle this big media story? By ignoring it completely.
One week later, we find ourselves with another big media story involving Fox News. According to the Washington Post, last spring Roger Ailes asked Fox News contributor K.T. MacFarland to use her trip to Afghanistan to pitch to David Patraeus the idea of running against President Obama as a Republican. MacFarland told Petraeus that Ailes was even willing to step down from his Fox post and become a campaign aide were the general to run.
The ethical lapses on display here stack high. Once again, this is choice material for media critics to chew over, and once again we should expect Fox News' media critic to handle the story as he handled Ricks: by ignoring it.
Ever since the election, much has been made of the "Republican bubble," wherein Republicans and conservatives spent the campaign enclosed within the safe confines of ideologically simpatico news outlets, convincing themselves that Mitt Romney was on a glide path to a landslide and dismissing all data pointing to the contrary as so much liberal spin. In the past month, we've seen no signs of that bubble popping. Indeed, Ricks took the opportunity (a vanishingly rare one) to pop the bubble from the inside, and Fox News responded by treating the incident as if it never happened.
That's not to say that Fox News Watch didn't cover Benghazi -- the lead segment on December 3 dealt with Ambassador Susan Rice "trying to spin her way out of trouble with her GOP critics" and the "liberal media" who are "still defending Rice and denigrating her detractors." The show focused exclusively on the aspect of the story that best serves the interests of Fox News and the Republican Party, thus proving Ricks correct. Again.
The fact that the network just completely blew off Ricks' hijacking of their airwaves is an ominous sign. Fox News could have covered the story in a wholly self-serving way and made some effort to defend its non-stop Benghazi coverage. But Fox News Watch -- the show devoted to media criticism -- wasn't even willing to acknowledge a critic of the network.
And that's standard operating procedure. When Fox News finds itself under fire for bad media practices, Fox News Watch ignores the story. Scott and his coterie of "liberal media" bashers were even videotaped between segments talking about how they were purposefully avoiding discussion of the phone-hacking scandal that engulfed News Corp.-owned British tabloids.
But this goes beyond the failures of the program itself. It's life inside the bubble: Fox News is right, and the critics aren't just wrong, they don't even merit mention. So don't be surprised when the forthcoming edition of Fox News Watch finds ample opportunity to bash the "liberal media," but no time to discuss the Fox News chief's efforts to help take down the Democratic president.


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Harmony United Psychiatric Care is part of Harmony United Healthcare and Research, PA. The company was established in 2013 and became operational in 2014 from a mental health clinic in Leesburg. Since then, the company has grown to now 9 active mental health clinic locations.


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I am looking at someone else's notebook, and when I go to evaluate it, it asks whether I want to evaluate the initialization cells. I would like to look at them first, but "I do not see them here nor there, I do not see them anywhere".
How do I reveal these cells, and, for that matter, any other invisible cells in the notebook? I searched (sought?) for "initialization cell/s" and for "invisible cell/s" in the Wolfram documentation, and only found info about cells that don't have visible cell brackets, no info about cells that are completely invisible. Not how to hide my own or reveal someone else's. I found only this: howto/SelectCellsWithoutVisibleCellBrackets
I'd be grateful for guidance.


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Tech companies made a strong showing among the top U.S. patent recipients for 2014, with IBM dominating the rankings as it has for more than two decades.
IBM was awarded 7,534 utility patents last year, according to data from IFI Claims Patent Services. IBM's record-setting haul is up 11% compared to 2013, when it earned 6,809 patents.
IBM bested the next most prolific patent recipient, Samsung, by a huge margin. Ranked No. 2, Samsung received 4,952 patents in 2014.
Microsoft, Qualcomm and Google also made it into the top 10. Microsoft, ranked fifth for the second year in a row, received 2,829 patents, up 6% from 2,660 in 2014. Qualcomm climbed from No. 9 to No. 7 with 2,590 patents, a sizable gain of 23% compared to 2013.
Google upped its patent production even more aggressively by 39% -- to break into the top 10 for the first time.
Google earned 2,566 patents in 2014, up from 1,851 in 2013, to land at No. 8 on IFI's ranking (up from No. 11 in 2013). Google trailed Qualcomm by just 24 patents in 2014 and was only 239 patents behind Microsoft.
Just outside the top 10 is Apple, at No. 11, with 2,003 patents. Apple grew its patent tally by 13% compared to 2013, when it received 1,775 patents.
Cisco earned 1,095 patents in 2014, up 24% from 885 patents in 2013, and climbed to No. 32 from a rank of 40 a year earlier.
Other tech vendors earning spots on the top 50 list include Intel, which placed 16th with 1,578 patents, and HP, in 17th place with 1,474 patents. BlackBerry, the only Canadian company in the top 50, landed at No. 24 with 1,337 patents. AT&T, with 1,307 patents, came in at No. 25. Huawei Technologies, at No. 48, received 775 patents.
Amazon made its debut in the top 50, squeaking in at No. 50 with 745 patents.
IFI, a division of Fairview Research, specializes in patent analysis. Its annual ranking tracks utility patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Last year saw a new all-time high, according to IFI: annual U.S. patent grants increased by more than 8% to 300,674, surpassing the 300,000 threshold for the first time.
The U.S. has more firms in the 2014 IFI Claims Top 50 than any other single country. Nineteen U.S.-based companies appear on IFI's Top 50 list, up from 18 in 2013 and 17 in 2012. Japan is second with 18 firms.
"It was a very good year for U.S. patents in terms of growth," said Mike Baycroft, CEO of IFI Claims Patent Services, in a statement. "It was a particularly good year for U.S. firms which saw major gains from many of the top patent-generators, whereas overall foreign holdings of U.S. patents has held steady at roughly 49 percent."


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Chapter 6 – Last Words
Louisa May Alcott2016年11月04日'Command+D' Bookmark this page
The next day was Sunday, and a goodly troop of young and old set
forth to church. – some driving, some walking, all enjoying the lovely
weather and the happy quietude which comes to refresh us when the
work and worry of the week are over. Daisy had a headache; and Aunt
Jo remained at home to keep her company, knowing very well that the
worst ache was in the tender heart struggling dutifully against the
love that grew stronger as the parting drew nearer.
'Daisy knows my wishes, and I trust her. You must keep an eye on Nat,
and let him clearly understand that there is to be no "lovering", or
I shall forbid the letter-writing. I hate to seem cruel, but it is
too soon for my dear girl to bind herself in any way,' said Mrs Meg,
as she rustled about in her best grey silk, while waiting for Demi,
who always escorted his pious mother to church as a peace-offering
for crossing her wishes in other things.
'I will, dear; I'm lying in wait for all three boys today, like an
old spider; and I will have a good talk with each. They know I
understand them, and they always open their hearts sooner or later.
You look like a nice, plump little Quakeress, Meg; and no one will
believe that big boy is your son,' added Mrs Jo, as Demi came in
shining with Sunday neatness, from his well-blacked boots to his
smooth brown head.
'You flatter me, to soften my heart toward your boy. I know your
ways, Jo, and I don't give in. Be firm, and spare me a scene by and
by. As for John, as long as he is satisfied with his old mother, I
don't care what people think,' answered Mrs Meg, accepting with a
smile the little posy of sweet peas and mignonette Demi brought her.
Then, having buttoned her dove-coloured gloves with care, she took
her son's arm and went proudly away to the carriage, where Amy and
Bess waited, while Jo called after them, just as Marmee used to do:
'Girls, have you got nice pocket-handkerchiefs?' They all smiled at
the familiar words, and three white banners waved as they drove away,
leaving the spider to watch for her first fly. She did not wait long.
Daisy was lying down with a wet cheek on the little hymnbook out of
which she and Nat used to sing together; so Mrs Jo strolled about the
lawn, looking very like a wandering mushroom with her large buff
Dan had gone for a ten-mile stroll; and Nat was supposed to have
accompanied him, but presently came sneaking back, unable to tear
himself away from the Dovecote or lose a moment of nearness to his
idol that last day. Mrs Jo saw him at once, and beckoned him to a
rustic seat under the old elm, where they could have their
confidences undisturbed, and both keep an eye on a certain
white-curtained window, half hidden in vines.
'Nice and cool here. I'm not up to one of Dan's tramps today – it's so
warm, and he goes so like a steam-engine. He headed for the swamp
where his pet snakes used to live, and I begged to be excused,' said
Nat, fanning himself with his straw hat, though the day was not
'I'm glad you did. Sit and rest with me, and have one of our good old
talks. We've both been so busy lately, I feel as if I didn't half
know your plans; and I want to,' answered Mrs Jo, feeling sure that
though they might start with Leipzig they would bring up at
'You are very kind, and there's nothing I'd like better. I don't
realize I'm going so far – suppose I shan't till I get afloat. It's a
splendid start, and I don't know how I can ever thank Mr Laurie for
all he's done, or you either,' added Nat, with a break in his voice;
for he was a tender-hearted fellow, and never forgot a kindness.
'You can thank us beautifully by being and doing all we hope and
expect of you, my dear. In the new life you are going to there will
be a thousand trials and temptations, and only your own wit and
wisdom to rely on. That will be the time to test the principles we
have tried to give you, and see how firm they are. Of course, you
will make mistakes – we all do; but don't let go of your conscience
and drift along blindly. Watch and pray, dear Nat; and while your
hand gains skill, let your head grow wiser, and keep your heart as
innocent and warm as it is now.'
'I'll try, Mother Bhaer, my very best to be a credit to you. I know I
shall improve in my music – can't help it there; but I never shall be
very wise, I'm afraid. As for my heart, you know, I leave it behind
me in good keeping.'
As he spoke, Nat's eyes were fixed on the window with a look of love
and longing that made his quiet face both manly and sad – plainly
showing how strong a hold this boyish affection had upon him.
'I want to speak of that; and I know you will forgive what seems
hard, because I do most heartily sympathize with you,' said Mrs Jo,
glad to have her say.
'Yes, do talk about Daisy! I think of nothing but leaving and losing
her. I have no hope – I suppose it is too much to ask; only I can't
help loving her, wherever I am!' cried Nat, with a mixture of
defiance and despair in his face that rather startled Mrs Jo.
'Listen to me and I'll try to give you both comfort and good advice.
We all know that Daisy is fond of you, but her mother objects, and
being a good girl she tries to obey. Young people think they never
can change, but they do in the most wonderful manner, and very few
die of broken hearts.' Mrs Jo smiled as she remembered another boy
whom she had once tried to comfort, and then went soberly on while
Nat listened as if his fate hung upon her lips.
'One of two things will happen. You will find someone else to love,
or, better still, be so busy and happy in your music that you will be
willing to wait for time to settle the matter for you both. Daisy
will perhaps forget when you are gone, and be glad you are only
friends. At any rate it is much wiser to have no promises made; then
both are free, and in a year or two may meet to laugh over the little
romance nipped in the bud.'
'Do you honestly think that?' asked Nat, looking at her so keenly
that the truth had to come; for all his heart was in those frank blue
eyes of his.
'No, I don't!' answered Mrs Jo. 'Then if you were in my place, what
would you do?' he added, with a tone of command never heard in his
gentle voice before.
'Bless me! the boy is in dead earnest, and I shall forget prudence in
sympathy I'm afraid,' thought Mrs Jo, surprised and pleased by the
unexpected manliness Nat showed.
'I'll tell you what I should do. I'd say to myself:
"I'll prove that my love is strong and faithful, and make Daisy's
mother proud to give her to me by being not only a good musician but
an excellent man, and so command respect and confidence. This I will
try for; and if I fail, I shall be the better for the effort, and
find comfort in the thought that I did my best for her sake."'
'That is what I meant to do. But I wanted a word of hope to give me
courage,' cried Nat, firing up as if the smouldering spark was set
ablaze by a breath of encouragement. 'Other fellows, poorer and
stupider than I, have done great things and come to honour. Why may
not I, though I'm nothing now? I know Mrs Brooke remembers what I
came from, but my father was honest though everything went wrong; and
I have nothing to be ashamed of though I was a charity boy. I never
will be ashamed of my people or myself, and I'll make other folks
respect me if I can.'
'Good! that's the right spirit, Nat. Hold to it and make yourself a
man. No one will be quicker to see and admire the brave work than my
sister Meg. She does not despise your poverty or your past; but
mothers are very tender over their daughters, and we Marches, though
we have been poor, are, I confess, a little proud of our good family.
We don't care for money; but a long line of virtuous ancestors is
something to desire and to be proud of.'
'Well, the Blakes are a good lot. I looked 'em up, and not one was
ever in prison, hanged, or disgraced in any way. We used to be rich
and honoured years ago, but we've died out and got poor, and father
was a street musician rather than beg; and I'll be one again before
I'll do the mean things some men do and pass muster.'
Nat was so excited that Mrs Jo indulged in a laugh to calm him, and
both went on more quietly.
'I told my sister all that and it pleased her. I am sure if you do
well these next few years that she will relent and all be happily
settled, unless that wonderful change, which you don't believe
possible, should occur. Now, cheer up; don't be lackadaisical and
blue. Say good-bye cheerfully and bravely, show a manly front, and
leave a pleasant memory behind you. We all wish you well and hope
much for you. Write to me every week and I'll send a good, gossipy
answer. Be careful what you write to Daisy; don't gush or wail, for
sister Meg will see the letters; and you can help your cause very
much by sending sensible, cheery accounts of your life to us all.'
'I will; I will; it looks brighter and better already, and I won't
lose my one comfort by any fault of my own. Thank you so much, Mother
Bhaer, for taking my side. I felt so ungrateful and mean and crushed
when I thought you all considered me a sneak who had no business to
love such a precious girl as Daisy. No one said anything, but I knew
how you felt, and that Mr Laurie sent me off partly to get me out of
the way. Oh dear, life is pretty tough sometimes, isn't it?' And Nat
took his head in both hands as if it ached with the confusion of
hopes and fears, passions and plans that proved boyhood was past and
manhood had begun.
'Very tough, but it is that very struggle with obstacles which does
us good. Things have been made easy for you in many ways, but no one
can do everything. You must paddle your own canoe now, and learn to
avoid the rapids and steer straight to the port you want to reach. I
don't know just what your temptations will be for you have no bad
habits and seem to love music so well, nothing can lure you from it.
I only hope you won't work too hard.'
'I feel as if I could work like a horse, I'm so eager to get on; but
I'll take care. Can't waste time being sick, and you've given me
doses enough to keep me all right, I guess.' Nat laughed as he
remembered the book of directions Mrs Jo had written for him to
consult on all occasions.
She immediately added some verbal ones on the subject of foreign
messes, and having mounted one of her pet hobbies, was in full gallop
when Emil was seen strolling about on the roof of the old house, that
being his favourite promenade; for there he could fancy himself
walking the deck, with only blue sky and fresh air about him.
'I want a word with the Commodore, and up there we shall be nice and
quiet. Go and play to Daisy: it will put her to sleep and do you both
good. Sit in the porch, so I can keep an eye on you as I promised';
and with a motherly pat on the shoulder Mrs Jo left Nat to his
delightful task and briskly ascended to the house-top, not up the
trellis as of old but by means of the stairs inside.
Emerging on the platform she found Emil cutting his initials afresh
in the wood-work and singing 'Pull for the Shore', like the tuneful
mariner he was.
'Come aboard and make yourself at home, Aunty,' he said, with a
playful salute. 'I'm just leaving a P.P.C. in the old place, so when
you fly up here for refuge you'll remember me.'
'Ah, my dear, I'm not likely to forget you. It doesn't need E. B. H.
cut on all the trees and railings to remind me of my sailor boy'; and
Mrs Jo took the seat nearest the blue figure astride the balustrade,
not quite sure how to begin the little sermon she wanted to preach.
'Well, you don't pipe your eye and look squally when I sheer off as
you used to, and that's a comfort. I like to leave port in fair
weather and have a jolly send-off all round. Specially this time, for
it will be a year or more before we drop anchor here again,' answered
Emil, pushing his cap back, and glancing about him as if he loved old
Plum and would be sorry never to see it any more.
'You have salt water enough without my adding to it. I'm going to be
quite a Spartan mother, and send my sons to battle with no wailing,
only the command:
"With your shield or on it",' said Mrs Jo cheerfully, adding after a
pause: 'I often wish I could go too, and some day I will, when you
are captain and have a ship of your own – as I've no doubt you will
before long, with Uncle Herman to push you on.'
'When I do I'll christen her the Jolly Jo and take you as first mate.
It would be regular larks to have you aboard, and I'd be a proud man
to carry you round the world you've wanted to see so long and never
could,' answered Emil, caught at once by this splendid vision.
'I'll make my first voyage with you and enjoy myself immensely in
spite of seasickness and all the stormy winds that blow. I've always
thought I'd like to see a wreck, a nice safe one with all saved after
great danger and heroic deeds, while we clung like Mr Pillicoddy to
main-top jibs and lee scuppers.'
'No wrecks yet, ma'am, but we'll try to accommodate customers.
Captain says I'm a lucky dog and bring fair weather, so we'll save
the dirty weather for you if you want it,' laughed Emil, digging at
the ship in full sail which he was adding to his design.
'Thanks, I hope you will. This long voyage will give you new
experiences, and being an officer, you will have new duties and
responsibilities. Are you ready for them? You take everything so
gaily, I've been wondering if you realized that now you will have not
only to obey but to command also, and power is a dangerous thing. Be
careful that you don't abuse it or let it make a tyrant of you.'
'Right you are, ma'am. I've seen plenty of that, and have got my
bearings pretty well, I guess. I shan't have very wide swing with
Peters over me, but I'll see that the boys don't get abused when he's
bowsed up his jib. No right to speak before, but now I won't stand
'That sounds mysteriously awful; could I ask what nautical torture
"bowsing jibs" is?' asked Mrs Jo, in a tone of deep interest.
'Getting drunk. Peters can hold more grog than any man I ever saw; he
keeps right side up, but is as savage as a norther, and makes things
lively all round. I've seen him knock a fellow down with a belaying
pin, and couldn't lend a hand. Better luck now, I hope.' And Emil
frowned as if he already trod the quarter-deck, lord of all he
'Don't get into trouble, for even Uncle Herman's favour won't cover
insubordination, you know. You have proved yourself a good sailor;
now be a good officer, which is a harder thing, I fancy. It takes a
fine character to rule justly and kindly; you will have to put by
your boyish ways and remember your dignity. That will be excellent
training for you, Emil, and sober you down a bit. No more skylarking
except here, so mind your ways, and do honour to your buttons,' said
Mrs Jo, tapping one of the very bright brass ones that ornamented the
new suit Emil was so proud of.
'I'll do my best. I know my time for skirmshander (chaff) is over,
and I must steer a straighter course; but don't you fear, Jack ashore
is a very different craft from what he is with blue water under his
keel. I had a long talk with Uncle last night and got my orders; I
won't forget 'em nor all I owe him. As for you, I'll name my first
ship as I say, and have your bust for the figurehead, see if I
don't,' and Emil gave his aunt a hearty kiss to seal the vow, which
proceeding much amused Nat, playing softly in the porch of the
'You do me proud, Captain. But, dear, I want to say one thing and
then I'm done; for you don't need much advice of mine after my good
man has spoken. I read somewhere that every inch of rope used in the
British Navy has a strand of red in it, so that wherever a bit of it
is found it is known. That is the text of my little sermon to you.
Virtue, which means honour, honesty, courage, and all that makes
character, is the red thread that marks a good man wherever he is.
Keep that always and everywhere, so that even if wrecked by
misfortune, that sign shall still be found and recognized. Yours is a
rough life, and your mates not all we could wish, but you can be a
gentleman in the true sense of the word; and no matter what happens
to your body, keep your soul clean, your heart true to those who love
you, and do your duty to the end.'
As she spoke Emil had risen and stood listening with his cap off and
a grave, bright look as if taking orders from a superior officer;
when she ended, he answered briefly, but heartily:
'Please God, I will!'
'That's all; I have little fear for you, but one never knows when or
how the weak moment may come, and sometimes a chance word helps us,
as so many my dear mother spoke come back to me now for my own
comfort and the guidance of my boys,' said Mrs Jo, rising; for the
words had been said and no more were needed.
'I've stored 'em up and know where to find 'em when wanted. Often and
often in my watch I've seen old Plum, and heard you and Uncle talking
so plainly, I'd have sworn I was here. It is a rough life, Aunty, but
a wholesome one if a fellow loves it as I do, and has an anchor to
windward as I have. Don't worry about me, and I'll come home next
year with a chest of tea that will cheer your heart and give you
ideas enough for a dozen novels. Going below? All right, steady in
the gangway! I'll be along by the time you've got out the cake-box.
Last chance for a good old lunch ashore.'
Mrs Jo descended laughing, and Emil finished his ship whistling
cheerfully, neither dreaming when and where this little chat on the
house-top would return to the memory of one of them.
Dan was harder to catch, and not until evening did a quiet moment
come in that busy family; when, while the rest were roaming about,
Mrs Jo sat down to read in the study, and presently Dan looked in at
the window.
'Come and rest after your long tramp; you must be tired,' she called,
with an inviting nod towards the big sofa where so many boys had
reposed – as much as that active animal ever does.
'Afraid I shall disturb you'; but Dan looked as if he wanted to stay
his restless feet somewhere.
'Not a bit; I'm always ready to talk, shouldn't be a woman if I were
not,' laughed Mrs Jo, as Dan swung himself in and sat down with an
air of contentment very pleasant to see.
'Last day is over, yet somehow I don't seem to hanker to be off.
Generally, I'm rather anxious to cut loose after a short stop. Odd,
ain't it?' asked Dan, gravely picking grass and leaves out of his
hair and beard; for he had been lying on the grass, thinking many
thoughts in the quiet summer night.
'Not at all; you are beginning to get civilized. It's a good sign,
and I'm glad to see it,' answered Mrs Jo promptly. 'You've had your
swing, and want a change. Hope the farming will give it to you,
though helping the Indians pleases me more: it is so much better to
work for others than for one's self alone.'
'So 'tis,' assented Dan heartily. 'I seem to want to root somewhere
and have folks of my own to take care of. Tired of my own company, I
suppose, now I've seen so much better. I'm a rough, ignorant lot, and
I've been thinking maybe I've missed it loafing round creation,
instead of going in for education as the other chaps did. Hey?'
He looked anxiously at Mrs Jo; and she tried to hide the surprise
this new outburst caused her; for till now Dan had scorned books and
gloried in his freedom.
'No; I don't think so in your case. So far I'm sure the free life was
best. Now that you are a man you can control that lawless nature
better; but as a boy only great activity and much adventure could
keep you out of mischief. Time is taming my colt, you see, and I
shall yet be proud of him, whether he makes a pack-horse of himself
to carry help to the starving or goes to ploughing as Pegasus did.'
Dan liked the comparison, and smiled as he lounged in the
sofa-corner, with the new thoughtfulness in his eyes.
'Glad you think so. The fact is it's going to take a heap of taming
to make me go well in harness anywhere. I want to, and I try now and
then, but always kick over the traces and run away. No lives lost
yet; but I shouldn't wonder if there was some time, and a general
'Why, Dan, did you have any dangerous adventures during this last
absence? I fancied so, but didn't ask before, knowing you'd tell me
if I could help in any way. Can I?' And Mrs Jo looked anxiously at
him; for a sudden lowering expression had come into his face, and he
leaned forward as if to hide it.
'Nothing very bad; but 'Frisco isn't just a heaven on earth, you know,
and it's harder to be a saint there than here,' he answered slowly;
then, as if he had made up his mind to "fess', as the children used
to say, he sat up, and added rapidly, in a half-defiant,
half-shamefaced way, 'I tried gambling, and it wasn't good for me.'
'Was that how you made your money?'
'Not a penny of it! That's all honest, if speculation isn't a bigger
sort of gambling. I won a lot; but I lost or gave it away, and cut
the whole concern before it got the better of me.'
'Thank heaven for that! Don't try it again; it may have the terrible
fascination for you it has for so many. Keep to your mountains and
prairies, and shun cities, if these things tempt you, Dan. Better
lose your life than your soul, and one such passion leads to worse
sins, as you know better than I.'
Dan nodded, and seeing how troubled she was, said, in a lighter tone,
though still the shadow of that past experience remained:
'Don't be scared; I'm all right now; and a burnt dog dreads the fire.
I don't drink, or do the things you dread; don't care for 'em; but I
get excited, and then this devilish temper of mine is more than I can
manage. Fighting a moose or a buffalo is all right; but when you
pitch into a man, no matter how great a scamp he is, you've got to
look out. I shall kill someone some day; that's all I'm afraid of. I
do hate a sneak!' And Dan brought his fist down on the table with a
blow that made the lamp totter and the books skip.
'That always was your trial, Dan, and I can sympathize with you; for
I've been trying to govern my own temper all my life, and haven't
learnt yet,' said Mrs Jo, with a sigh. 'For heaven's sake, guard your
demon well, and don't let a moment's fury ruin all your life. As I
said to Nat, watch and pray, my dear boy. There is no other help or
hope for human weakness but God's love and patience.'
Tears were in Mrs Jo's eyes as she spoke; for she felt this deeply,
and knew how hard a task it is to rule these bosom sins of ours. Dan
looked touched, also uncomfortable, as he always did when religion of
any sort was mentioned, though he had a simple creed of his own, and
tried to live up to it in his blind way.
'I don't do much praying; don't seem to come handy to me; but I can
watch like a redskin, only it's easier to mount guard over a lurking
grizzly than my own cursed temper. It's that I'm afraid of, if I
settle down. I can get on with wild beasts first-rate; but men rile
me awfully, and I can't take it out in a free fight, as I can with a
bear or a wolf. Guess I'd better head for the Rockies, and stay there
a spell longer – till I'm tame enough for decent folks, if I ever am.'
And Dan leaned his rough head on his hands in a despondent attitude.
'Try my sort of help, and don't give up. Read more, study a little,
and try to meet a better class of people, who won't "rile", but
soothe and strengthen you. We don't make you savage, I'm sure; for
you have been as meek as a lamb, and made us very happy.'
'Glad of it; but I've felt like a hawk in a hen-house all the same,
and wanted to pounce and tear more than once. Not so much as I used,
though,' added Dan, after a short laugh at Mrs Jo's surprised face.
'I'll try your plan, and keep good company this bout if I can; but a
man can't pick and choose, knocking about as I do.'
'Yes, you can this time; for you are going on a peaceful errand and
can keep clear of temptation if you try. Take some books and read;
that's an immense help; and books are always good company if you have
the right sort. Let me pick out some for you.' And Mrs Jo made a
bee-line to the well-laden shelves, which were the joy of her heart
and the comfort of her life.
'Give me travels and stories, please; don't want any pious works,
can't seem to relish 'em, and won't pretend I do,' said Dan,
following to look over her head with small favour at the long lines
of well-worn volumes.
Mrs Jo turned short round, and putting a hand on either broad
shoulder, looked him in the eye, saying soberly:
'Now, Dan, see here; never sneer at good things or pretend to be
worse than you are. Don't let false shame make you neglect the
religion without which no man can live. You needn't talk about it if
you don't like, but don't shut your heart to it in whatever shape it
comes. Nature is your God now; she has done much for you; let her do
more, and lead you to know and love a wiser and more tender teacher,
friend, and comforter than she can ever be. That is your only hope;
don't throw it away, and waste time; for sooner or later you will
feel the need of Him, and He will come to you and hold you up when
all other help fails.'
Dan stood motionless, and let her read in his softened eyes the dumb
desire that lived in his heart, though he had no words to tell it,
and only permitted her to catch a glimpse of the divine spark which
smoulders or burns clearly in every human soul. He did not speak; and
glad to be spared some answer which should belie his real feelings,
Mrs Jo hastened to say, with her most motherly smile:
'I saw in your room the little Bible I gave you long ago; it was well
worn outside, but fresh within, as if not much read. Will you promise
me to read a little once a week, dear, for my sake? Sunday is a quiet
day everywhere, and this book is never old nor out of place. Begin
with the stories you used to love when I told them to you boys. David
was your favourite, you remember? Read him again; he'll suit you even
better now, and you'll find his sins and repentance useful reading
till you come to the life and work of a diviner example than he. You
will do it, for love of mother Bhaer, who always loved her
"firebrand" and hoped to save him?'
'I will,' answered Dan, with a sudden brightening of face that was
like a sunburst through a cloud, full of promise though so
short-lived and rare.
Mrs Jo turned at once to the books and began to talk of them, knowing
well that Dan would not hear any more just then. He seemed relieved;
for it was always hard for him to show his inner self, and he took
pride in hiding it as an Indian does in concealing pain or fear.
'Hallo, here's old Sintram! I remember him; used to like him and his
tantrums, and read about 'em to Ted. There he is riding ahead with
Death and the Devil alongside.'
As Dan looked at the little picture of the young man with horse and
hound going bravely up the rocky defile, accompanied by the
companions who ride beside most men through this world, a curious
impulse made Mrs Jo say quickly:
'That's you, Dan, just you at this time! Danger and sin are near you
in the life you lead; moods and passions torment you; the bad father
left you to fight alone, and the wild spirit drives you to wander up
and down the world looking for peace and self-control. Even the
horse and hound are there, your Octoo and Don, faithful friends,
unscared by the strange mates that go with you. You have not got the
armour yet, but I'm trying to show you where to find it. Remember
the mother Sintram loved and longed to find, and did find when his
battle was bravely fought, his reward well earned? You can recollect
your mother; and I have always felt that all the good qualities you
possess come from her. Act out the beautiful old story in this as in
the other parts, and try to give her back a son to be proud of.'
Quite carried away by the likeness of the quaint tale to Dan's life
and needs, Mrs Jo went on pointing to the various pictures which
illustrated it, and when she looked up was surprised to see how
struck and interested he seemed to be. Like all people of his
temperament he was very impressionable, and his life among hunters
and Indians had made him superstitious; he believed in dreams, liked
weird tales, and whatever appealed to the eye or mind, vividly
impressed him more than the wisest words. The story of poor,
tormented Sintram came back clearly as he looked and listened,
symbolizing his secret trials even more truly than Mrs Jo knew; and
just at that moment this had an effect upon him that never was
forgotten. But all he said was:
'Small chance of that. I don't take much stock in the idea of meeting
folks in heaven. Guess mother won't remember the poor little brat she
left so long ago; why should she?'
'Because true mothers never forget their children; and I know she was
one, from the fact that she ran away from the cruel husband, to save
her little son from bad influences. Had she lived, life would have
been happier for you, with this tender friend to help and comfort
you. Never forget that she risked everything for your sake, and don't
let it be in vain.'
Mrs Jo spoke very earnestly, knowing that this was the one sweet
memory of Dan's early life, and glad to have recalled it at this
moment; for suddenly a great tear splashed down on the page where
Sintram kneels at his mother's feet, wounded, but victorious over sin
and death. She looked up, well pleased to have touched Dan to the
heart's core, as that drop proved; but a sweep of the arm brushed
away the tell-tale, and his beard hid the mate to it, as he shut the
book, saying with a suppressed quiver in his strong voice:
'I'll keep this, if nobody wants it. I'll read it over, and maybe it
will do me good. I'd like to meet her anywhere, but don't believe I
ever shall.'
'Keep it and welcome. My mother gave it to me; and when you read it
try to believe that neither of your mothers will ever forget you.'
Mrs Jo gave the book with a caress; and simply saying: 'Thanks; good
night,' Dan thrust it into his pocket, and walked straight away to
the river to recover from this unwonted mood of tenderness and
Next day the travellers were off. All were in good spirits, and a
cloud of handkerchiefs whitened the air as they drove away in the old
bus, waving their hats to everyone and kissing their hands,
especially to mother Bhaer, who said in her prophetic tone as she
wiped her eyes, when the familiar rumble died away:
'I have a feeling that something is going to happen to some of them,
and they will never come back to me, or come back changed. Well, I
can only say, God be with my boys!'
And He was.


text:
Animal Wildlife | Lemur | The lemurs is a primate native to the island of Madagascar, a large island off the south east coast of Africa. There are approximately 10 different species of lemur inhabiting the island where the lemurs spend most of their time in the trees. Lemurs are best known for their large, round reflective eyes and their wailing screams. Lemurs also have furry, pointed ears and long tails, with lemurs often being compared to both monkeys and squirrels. The lemur will eat most small things from berries, nuts and leaves to insects and spiders and therefore the lemur has an omnivorous diet. Lemurs get most of their food from the surrounding trees but lemurs will occasionally forage for grub on the forest floor if they have no luck in the branches.
The black and white ruffed lemur, the russet mouse lemur, the woolly lemur, the aye aye and the ring tail lemur are among the most common species of lemur found in Madagascar, although the Aye Aye is considered to be a species of lemur very different from the rest, mainly due to the long middle fingers of the aye aye which it uses to get food out of holes. There are four main types of lemur containing nearly 100 different lemur subspecies between them. The biggest threat to the lemur is deforestation, with around 90% of the Madagascan jungle having been destroyed. This means that the lemur populations are declining rapidly as the lemur has fewer trees to make its home in.
The apex predator of Madagascar, the fossa, is also a big threat to the lemur, as lemurs are one of the favourite meals of a fossa. The lemur has fast reactions and is very agile which allows it to try to escape the fossa, but the fossa is a very stubborn and lightening quick animal, so the lemur generally becomes dinner. The most commonly known species of lemur is the ring-tailed lemur. with this lemur being very distinctive by the black and white ring markings on the lemurs tail. The ring-tailed lemur has a grey coloured fur and white tufts on its ears. Lemurs are small-medium sized primates with adult lemurs growing to a maximum of around 70 cm tall (plus their long tail which is often nearly as long as the body of the lemur). Lemurs also have sharp claws on their feet which enable the lemur to hold onto tree branches, particularly useful when the lemur is trying to escape from a hungry fossa!
Lemurs are one of the few animals that live in a matriarchal society, which means that the female lemurs have more control over the group than the male lemurs. These lemur groups however, behave in a very similar way to other primates as they feed and groom each other, as well as sleeping close to one another. It is not known why lemurs exhibit this rare form of social structure.
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text:
I recently moved into a relatively new home. The home was never occupied and has a media room.
The media room has the following (see picture for locations, speaker wire is in blue, speaker wire has two carriers):
- Coax connector for cable
- Five junction boxes with speaker wire inside
- Outlet on the ceiling on one side of the room
I traced the speaker wire. I don't understand how I can install a surround sound system using the existing speaker wire.
What am I missing? Any ideas?
I'm open to using a TV or projector - with projector screen on either end of the room - if that will relieve me of running new speaker wire.


text:
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text:
There are some gloomy reactions to the Waxman/Markey bill around the interwebs — see, for instance, Ezra Klein, Matt Yglesias, Kevin Drum, and Brad Plumer. I'm not going to claim the bill is perfect, but I think the pessimism is excessive.
It comes down to this: these guys are focusing too much on the carbon cap portion of the bill, which is only one of four major provisions. First off, this is a messaging disaster — Dems on the Hill are begging me to stop talking so much about "cap-and-trade," which means nothing to the public and is unpopular to the extent anyone understands it. They want the focus on clean energy, efficiency, and jobs, which are dealt with more in the other parts of the bill.
More substantively, focusing unduly on the carbon part of the bill makes the bill's flaws look bigger and more consequential than they really are. (Though, again, I acknowledge that there are serious flaws.) Some of the flaws in the carbon part, many necessary concessions to political reality, are compensated in part by other parts.
It's important to remember that Henry Waxman is, by virtually universal acclaim, one of the smartest and most savvy legislators in Congress. He knows the limits of the possible and the art of the deal. He's also one of the greenest, sponsor of 2007's ambitious Safe Climate Act. Same goes for Markey: he knows the legislative terrain around these issues better than anybody, having focused intently on them via his select committee for the last two years.
So these guys are trying to build the strongest possible bill that can still garner majority support.
Two of the bill's big flaws can be seen in that light: the silence on permit allocations and the high number (some two billion tons) of offsets allowed to meet targets.
People are wildly overreacting on allocations. It's not like auctioning permits is off the table — or would have been set in stone if they'd put it in the discussion draft. They're leaving it to committee discussion, so that some of the more skittish members can feel like they're involved and invested in the final product. I'm sure it will be some mix of auction and free allocation in the end, which is inevitable no matter what Waxman and Markey say.
The offsets, yes, are legitimately awful. A new report from PointCarbon says there's no way the domestic offset market can even supply enough to satisfy the bill's requirements. But this, too, was a big concession to legislators who worry about costs.
The worry with allowing too many offsets is that short-term action can be delayed. But that's precisely what the energy and grid portions of the bill are designed to avoid. They are designed to create an immediate market driver for renewables, and to put together the infrastructure to enable them.
The worry with giving away permits is that energy prices will rise and hurt vulnerable families. But that's exactly what the efficiency portion of the bill is designed to avoid — efficiency lowers energy bills even as energy costs rise.
Like everyone else I'm still digesting the bill, but it looks to me like Waxman and Markey have been fairly savvy about accomplishing via other parts of the bill what can not (yet) be accomplished by the carbon part, at least to some extent. In a sense, it's almost smarter politically to get greens howling about the carbon portion, since it distracts attention from the fact that the energy portions will compel enormous short-term action.


text:
I've entered the world of digital photography with a DSLR. A good friend of mine said I have "entered the money pit". This has become true. Suddenly, things like aperture, exposure, shutter speeds, etc – have entered my vocabulary. I've spent way too much time on Ken Rockwell's website. Researching lenses, flashes, shot composition, and have opened the firehose of information.
I bought a Nikon D40. I found that after researching, reading, debating, and re-reading, it is the best option for me right now, as opposed to overspending on a body. By purchasing an older body, with a kit lens, I can really test the waters of how far I want to go with this hobby. If it turns out I take crummy pictures, I'm not out as much money. If I fully dive in, its still a great body to learn on, and by realizing its faults, I'll be better prepared to upgrade. On the D40 itself, it's a 6.1MP camera. Now many people, including myself up until about 2 weeks ago, think that higher megapixel count automatically translates into better pictures. Not necessarily true. You can take a blurry 15MP shot just as well as a blurry 6.1MP shot. Granted, getting that awesome shot with 15 megapixels allows you the flexibility to crop more, but I'd like to hope that I can grow to a point where the shot I take doesn't require much editing. Plus, staying with the Nikon line, I know any lens I buy will be compatible with the next body I decide (if ever) to buy.
I'm still learning about the camera, but I think the next items on my list are the following:
– or –
Some sample shots that I've taken with the D40 and the 18-55mm kit lens.